


Parachute

by Seven_Oomen



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Aftercare, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Discussion of Abortion, Dom/sub Undertones, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Power Play, Rape/Non-con Elements, consensual dom/sub relationships, graphic description of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2020-04-07 19:45:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19091848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seven_Oomen/pseuds/Seven_Oomen
Summary: Staring at his hands, he realized he couldn’t take any of this for much longer. The words kept replaying in his head, like a broken record or a terrible unending mantra. He shook his head, groaning miserably as another wave of nausea hit him. He had to get himself through this.He knew that hooking up in the middle of a revolutionary celebration- or humanities last night of freedom- as he called it, wasn’t the best idea. But he couldn’t have known it would fuck his life up beyond repair. Not unless he got it fixed.He wasn’t sure he wanted to.-Luckily there's three assholes who are more than willing to help him out. Or Gavin Reed's introduction to polyamory and basic human decency.





	1. Rock Bottom

Staring at his hands, he realized he couldn’t take any of this for much longer. The words kept replaying in his head, like a broken record or a terrible unending mantra. He shook his head, groaning miserably as another wave of nausea hit him. He had to get himself through this. 

He knew that hooking up in the middle of a revolutionary celebration- or humanities last night of freedom- as he called it, wasn’t the best idea. But he couldn’t have known it would fuck his life up beyond repair. Not unless he got it fixed.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to.

-

“Reed!”

He closed his eyes, his stomach churning fierce as he fought off the urge to vomit. He couldn’t do this- not now. Not with his nose turned up to a million. Normally the smell of a three-week old dead guy was easy enough to control with some vapo rub under the nose. But right now even that wasn’t enough to prevent him from smelling dead fatass number three.

“Reed!” Anderson’s voice boomed across the crime scene once more.

“Yeah! I need a minute!” He managed to bite back, covering his nose and mouth in an attempt to keep everything contained. Nope.

He dashed to the sidewalk, through the holographic police tape that marked their crime scene and found the nearest empty trash can. He emptied the contents of his stomach before Anderson even made it to the door.

Someone came up behind him. By the light sound of the footsteps and the rhythm they hit the pavement with, it was Nines. Connor’s footsteps held a different rhythm. He learned that within two weeks of Nines coming to work for the DPD.

A warm hand on his shoulder, the soft humm of Nines’s machinery close by. He closed his eyes, his head resting on his arms as he groaned in misery. “I’m fine.”

 

“Naturally… That’s why you’re emptying your gut in the garbage. And here I thought cats never defiled their own beds.”

“Fuck off, tin can.” He wasn’t in the mood for banter. Although a small part of him had to admit the android was getting better at it. He shrugged off Nines’s hand, looking up at the android miserably.

“You look worse than usual.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “I feel worse than usual. I dunno what that shit is, but it’s got to me and not even vapo’s helping.”

“You are aware…-” Nines began, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Anderson and Connor. Of course, all of this had to happen on the one high priority case Fowler had assigned all four of them on.

“Reed? You-” The way Anderson looked at him, full of concern and compassion. Knowing what Anderson had been through, knowing what he’d seen. It made it all the worse.

“I’m fucking fine! I- I ate something bad is all.” It was a lie and an obvious one.

Anderson didn’t seem to believe him and Connor definitely looked like he wanted to say something on the contrary. So why wasn’t he? He squinted at the plastic, noting the rapidly blinking yellow LED. A quick glance to Nines showed a similar light at the taller androids temple. Ah. Made sense. That’s why wonderboy wasn’t talking.

 

“You sure?” 

He couldn’t stand the looks of sympathy from Anderson or the knowing stares from the androids. Bloody fuckers had probably scanned him.

“Yeah, yeah I'm sure.” 

Anderson handed him a napkin, which he'd dug out of his pocket. He took it gratefully and wiped his mouth. Throwing the napkin into the garbage can afterwards. “Thanks.”

“Now if you're done puking your guts out, we got a dead body to deal with. You're up for that?” Anderson looked at him expectantly.

He couldn't take this bullshit anymore. “Fucking hell Hank, I'm fine. It's just a fucking stomach bug,” He balled his fists in anger, “I'm fucking fine.”

“The finest…” Anderson deadpanned in return. “Jesus fucking Christ.” 

 

The older man shook his head as he walked back inside the house. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for that. Anderson was just trying to look out for him. But dammit he didn't need any of this shit. Nines sent him a rather sharp look as he walked past. The damn asshole even made a point of staring at Gavin's abdomen for just a few seconds before moving on to help Anderson. That settled it, the damn asshole knew what was going on. Fuck.

He sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Fuck his fucking life. 

 

“Detective?” Connor's voice cut through his thoughts.

“What, dipshit?” He glared at the dopey looking android and his goddamn puppy eye stare.

“I hope you know what you're doing…” the android looked down at his hands, biting his own lip as he glanced at Gavin's abdomen. “If you ever need my aid with the child-”

“Don't-!” He cut the android off with a sharp snap, “Don't call it- I don't.” 

He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Listen dipshit, I know, you know, Nines knows and that's- it's more than I can take. I don't know if I want to keep it, I-”

 

He tried to fight the wave of emotions that overtook him. Was he shaking? He was fairly sure he was cracking on the surface. Flashes of that night assaulted his senses. The sharp sting in his thigh. His pants hitting his ankles. She didn’t listen to him, she-

He couldn't take this, not now, not after-

 

“It's alright detective,”

He stared at the android in shock. Blinking back tears that threatened to fall. “The phck?”

“I'm not going to tell the lieutenant or the captain. And I'm sure Nines wouldn't either.” Connor gave his best soothing smile and he hated the effect it had on him. His heart rate slowed, his breathing calmed. 

He nodded. “Thanks, dipshit.” 

An involuntary shudder went through him.

 

“Nines and I believe our victim died of blood loss.” Connor, thankfully, changed the subject rather quickly as they walked back to their crime scene.

He hummed in agreement. “Judging by the wounds on the body, they were stabbed. So that seems likely-” 

“Yes, both in the stomach and in the lower abdomen. It seems that one of them sliced through the Omega’s uterus, causing internal bleeding. The stomach acid from the other wound caused massive acidic burns. The victim had a slow and painful death.” 

“Fuck…” Anderson cursed softly, “That’s one hell of a way to go. Poor son of a bitch.”

Gavin went quiet as he walked back into the house and stopped in front of their victim. His stomach churned, but since he had nothing else to lose, he didn’t have to make another trip to the garbage. He fought everything down. 

 

The victim was Omega male, caucasian, somewhere in his late twenties or mid thirties. ID was registered under the name of Nik Mccoy, no priors, no records. Not even a goddamn speeding ticket. So what had the poor bastard done to piss someone off this badly?

He looked at the bloodied writing on the wall above the victim. The handwriting sloppy and clearly made in a fit of rage.  _ Exodus 21:22-25  _

He knew what that meant, even if he tried his damndest to forget about all of it. He fought another urge to hurl. 

“Exodus twenty one, twenty two to twenty five. It’s a few bible verses.” Nines spoke up from his left.

“Yeah,” Gavin agreed softly. “Talks about pregnancy and what should be done if there’s serious injury to the unborn child. It was a popular verse among pro-lifers for a while in the twenty tens.”

“I’m not detecting any sort of fetal life or traces thereof in the vicim’s womb.” Connor walked around the victim, kneeling down next to him to study the lower of the two stab wounds more carefully.

“Don’t you dare put anything in your mouth…” Anderson grumbled. He couldn’t help but agree. It was unsettling to see the androids do that.

“It is the quickest way to analyze clues at the scene lieutenant.” Nines spoke up in Connor’s defense. The humans groaned at his words.

“Fucking fine, but be quick about it.” Anderson grumbled.

 

He couldn’t watch this, not right now. He walked off to the shabby little kitchen that was adjacent to the living room. Carefully studying the room around him. There were signs of forced entry at the kitchen door. The room was in the back of the house and once you got through the kitchen door, there was nothing more to stop an assailant from getting to the living room or upstairs. It also made for a good quick escape for that matter.

Gavin gently pushed the back door, stepping through to have a look at the footprints outside. The back of the house was only separated from the back road behind it by an easily climbable fence. That’s how their killer got entry onto the property and made their exit. He checked the fence for fibers or blood, careful not to disturb any of the footprints. But no such luck. Whoever it was had been careful not to leave any unwanted evidence behind.

Connor came up behind him, just standing there quietly analyzing the footprints. “It’s a size eight walking boot. Could be male or female, unfortunately.” 

“It’s not telling us much, that’s for damn sure,” Gavin sighed, “What about the fence or the scene inside? Any fingerprints?” 

“None. Not even in the bloodied writing. It’s just like the other three victims with similar crime scenes.”

He mulled over that information in his head. Exodus 21:22-25. Twenty two to twenty five…

Something clicked.

 

“Do we have lab results in on the other victims?” 

Connor’s LED spinned yellow for a few seconds before settling back on blue. Good, meant the android was thinking and had hopefully found something. “Yes. The other three victims had all been pregnant sometime before they were murdered. One had a miscarriage about a week before he was murdered. The two female omegas had had an abortion about a week before they were murdered. Our current victim, however, shows no signs of ever being pregnant.”

He unconsciously placed a hand on his still flat abdomen. Fucking hell, he hoped he never- He shook his head and jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned. He didn’t even know what he wanted to do and here he was feeling- feeling! Urgh.

“So our current victim is the anomaly. We have a serial killer who’s targeting Omega’s who lost their baby. Either by choice or by nature. But why?”

“Angry Alpha?” Anderson had found them outside it seemed, the larger Alpha came up behind them and stopped just a foot away from him. He didn’t want to admit how comforting that was to him. Fuck.

“Could be.” He shrugged.

“The fetal DNA within the first victim didn’t match with the fetal DNA traces found in the other two victims. The cases are too similar not to be connected.” Nines had also joined them near the fence. 

“So we’re looking at multiple perpetrators.” Anderson looked rather disturbed by that conclusion. “Fucking hell. Serial rapists who murder those that choose to abort or have a miscarriage. What the fucking hell’s this world coming to?”

He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. “Or murder those that don’t conceive on the first try.” He let out a shaky breath, hands balled at his sides. Maybe that was why Gavin himself was still alive… 

Connor and Nines cocked their heads at him, their LED’s spinning a vibrant yellow. He thanked his lucky stars the damn toasters didn’t say a goddamn word.

“Fuck,” Anderson cursed softly, shaking his head. To be honest,he could barely comprehend it himself. And he’d- well… 

 

The EMT’s arrived not long after to take the body down to the morgue and they finished up their investigation on the scene. There wasn’t much else to check out, the killer had been sure to leave little evidence behind for them. Something they’d expected.

The ride back to the station was awkward. Even though Hank and Connor had come with their own car, Nines provided enough tension for all of them.

“You realize you are six weeks along? Does Fowler know?”

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I didn’t- He doesn’t.”

The android stared at him for a minute or two. “How?”

He wasn’t entirely sure what the android was asking him. How hadn’t he told Fowler or how had he gotten himself in his current situation? He guessed the latter rather than the former.

He shot Nines a quick look. “Please don’t tell me I need to explain the birds and the bees to you…”

“I’m aware of how conception happens in humans, detective,” The android shot him an annoyed look, “I was just curious as to how you, specifically, had gotten yourself into this situation.”

It really wasn’t anyone’s business but his own. Yet he felt the need to a least tell someone what had transpired that night. Well, a watered down version of it at least.

 

“The night the revolution escalated. I was at Jimmy’s, I was drunk and in the mood for trouble. She was beautiful, exotic. Hot for a woman. I went with her, not sure why. Next thing I know I’m standing in the alley behind Jimmy’s with my pants down to my ankles and her stuff on my thighs.” 

Gavin sighed softly, his hands tightening on the steering wheel just so. He caught Nines quick stare. The Android had noticed. 

“Did she force herself upon you?” 

The question itself was an expected one. He hadn’t expected the android to basically whisper it at him though. He bit his lip. Not sure how to answer it. After a good minute, he finally chuckled darkly. “I’m not sure. And I’m not sure if I want to remember.”

That seemed to settle the issue for now. The rest of the drive was quiet, even the rest of their day went by without much conversation. Thankfully. He couldn’t deal with much more of this bullshit.

He packed up his stuff at the end of the day, relayed his report to detective Jones who came in for the nightshift, along with detective Collins. And went on his way.

Anderson cornered him briefly on the way to his car. “You sure you’re alright Reed? You’re not looking so good.” 

 

The scent of the Alpha was lulling him in, rage bubbled up at the instinct to curl up against the Alpha. He growled in response. “Fucking fine! And stop asking me! God, phck!” 

He shouldered his way past Anderson, ignoring the stares of the androids that were waiting near the lieutenant’s car. He quickly climbed into his own car and drove home.

He needed to get away, from Nines, from Connor, from Hank. He just- He couldn’t take it. It was all too much for him at the moment.

Gavin walked up to his apartment, the shiny cream halls and modern decor of the building familiar on his way up. Thankfully his salary was enough to put him somewhere decent in the middle of this fucking city.

 

He placed his right hand on the biometric panel next to his apartment door and completed the Iris scan that had been installed there five years prior. Security in the apartments had went up as crime rose around the city. Something Gavin himself was immensely grateful for. 

Nobody could get in without them knowing.

He quickly shoved a foot into the door opening in order to prevent Salem from slipping through. The little black american shorthair had a tendency to bolt for the door every time it was opened just a little. Thankfully, Gavin was usually faster than the little bastard.

He scooped the cat into his arms, nuzzling the soft fur of the cats neck as he carried him back inside and closed the door behind him. Salem meowed softly at him, rubbing his head against Gavin’s own in affection. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the little asshole. “What a slut…”

 

Peanut, his orange tabby Maine Coon chirped at him as he walked past his dark grey velvet sofa that the huge cat was resting on. “I know, your brother is a major attention slut.” 

Peanut merely blinked at him in contentment. Not judging his brother or Gavin himself. He merely meowed softly in response whilst Salem continued to rub himself all over Gavin. The black, yellow eyed cat truly was a slut for attention. He really wouldn’t have it any other way.

He carefully lowered Salem onto his kitchen table as he wandered around. Looking for something to eat. True, he could order take out once again. But he’d already done that most other nights. Surely he had to have something like instant noodles in his kitchen?

 

He finally found what he was looking for, prepping the instant noodles as per the instructions. He looked around his place as he waited for the water to boil. 

The place was a goddamn mess, with three cats and an owner that was almost always at work dust had gathered in the corners of the hardwood floors. A fine layer of dust had gathered on his coffee table, only interrupted here and there by little cat feet. Fucking hell.

He didn’t even want to know what his bathroom and bedroom looked like. He doubted it was anything good. At least he’d had the sensibility to clean the litter boxes every other night. Although he supposed that he wasn’t allowed to do that in the future. Not if he-

 

His appetite left him and he stored the opened pot of noodles in his fridge to keep it out of his cats reach. Barcode, his black and white patchy alleycat, stared at him from atop the fridge. Looking at him curiously. Gavin didn’t care.

He sighed and slowly slid down to the floor. Welcoming Salem into his arms as the cat immediately ran onto his lap and settled against his chest. He gently pet the cat as sobs started in his chest.

He couldn’t do this on his own. He couldn’t have this baby. Couldn’t go through with the responsibility. And yet, he couldn’t help but curl up and cry at the thought of ending its life. He was torn. He didn’t- he couldn’t- He needed help.

Now more than ever.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, insistently, continuously. He fished it out after twenty seconds or so and almost threw it across the room in a fit of anguish when he saw who was trying to call him. Anderson.

He needed help, but not his help. No. He sobbed silently, crying into Salem’s fur in despair while his phone continued to buzz on.


	2. Domesticity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the second chapter I had prepped. Chapter 3 is being written as we speak, thank the gods for lunch breaks. ^^
> 
> Content warnings for the chapter:  
> \- Depression  
> \- Mention of homophobia (this world's equivalent)

Hank sighed after a few tries. He shook his head. Why did he even care so fucking much? Clearly, Reed wanted nothing to do with him. So why did he care what happened to the younger human?

It wasn’t because Reed was an Omega. That had never mattered to him before. Reed could handle himself. But there was something about Reed’s scent that drew in his protective instincts. He gave up when he felt Nines’s arms settle around him. He leaned back into the Alpha’s embrace. Laying his head back on Nines’s shoulder.

 

“What’s got you so worked up?” The android’s voice was soft against the shell of his ear.

“Reed. There’s something going on… I’m worried about the jackass.” He cuddled closer to the other Alpha, smiling gently as Nines pressed a soft kiss to his nose.

“I know, but the detective is strong and capable. He’ll work it out or seek out help when he’s ready.”

He knew Nines had a point. It just didn’t sit well with him. He looked up when Connor settled against his chest. He hadn’t even heard the little bastard sneak into the kitchen. The smaller android was wearing a DPD hoodie and some sweatpants. His clothing. Again. Not that he really minded, as much as he’d like to complain about it. In a way it was cute.

 

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Connor in return. At first, it had been a bit unsettling to see both Nines and Connor settling into a relationship with one another and himself. But they’d assured him they’d done so of their own free will. So who was he to complain about it?

He certainly didn’t mind as Nines pressed a kiss to Connor’s lips in greeting. The Omega touching the Alpha’s cheek in return before pressing a similar kiss to Hank’s own lips. These two were going to be the death of him, he’d determined that relatively quickly.

 

“Nines has a point, Hank. I understand you’re worried about the detective, he doesn’t seem to be well. But I believe this is a matter he has to work out on his own.”

He narrowed his eyes at their Omega. Judging by the android's words, these two clearly knew something he didn’t. “And what kind of matter would that be?”

Connor’s LED flickered yellow, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was happening. He was communicating wirelessly with Nines, solidifying his suspicions. 

“I promised detective Reed I wouldn’t share that information.” Connor seemed to contemplate his answer for a minute. “One Omega to another.”

“Bullshit, you both know it,” He shot both androids a quick glare but sighed in defeat at the twin blank looks he received in return. “It has to do with his episode this morning. Doesn’t it?” 

 

Two more blank stares.

 

He sighed once more. “Fine, don’t tell me.” He squirmed his way out of their hold. 

“I’m just worried, I want to help. Like he’d done for me after-” Hank trailed off, it was clear what he meant and it was too painful for him to keep mentioning. The androids were smart enough. They’d known.

Nines cocked his head, looking down at the Omega curiously for a minute before focusing his attention back on Hank. “We didn’t know Gavin had been there for you.”

 

Hank chuckled darkly. “Why’d you think he’s constantly badgering the fuck out of me? Bastard cares. Even if he’d rather eat his hand than admit it.”

Connor raised an eyebrow at him, looking at him curiously. It was almost comical. Then again, maybe their social programs needed an update. Reed and him, they were complicated. 

 

“So all your bickering?”

“All in good nature. He cares and so do I. Even if we curse each other out most of the time.”

“As long as you’re both entertained…” Nines rolled his eyes at the information. Connor seemed fascinated by it. They were so similar, both androids, and yet so different.

“I know you’re worried about Gavin, Hank. But I’m sure he’s going to be fine. After all, nobody is more stubborn and resilient than detective Reed.”

 

He didn’t really buy it and he was fairly sure that showed. But thankfully, neither android said a thing. He merely hummed in return and made his way over to Sumo. “I’m going to take Sumo for a walk.”

“I’ll join you. It’s a rather nice night and I could use the movement.” Nines piped up from behind him, dog leash already in hand and leather jacket around his shoulders. He was fairly sure the other Alpha was plotting something with the Omega, but he let it slide for now. The flickering yellow LED’s were easy enough to ignore most of the time. He’d gotten used to it in the last two months.

“Better keep up then.” He grumbled in return.

 

The android walked beside him in silence, Sumo happily trodding on his left. A hand nudged his own and he carefully took the other Alpha’s hand with a soft smile. As tough as he seemed to be, Nines was a hopeless romantic at heart. He practically melted against Hank’s side as they walked their usual round with the Saint Bernard.

To anyone on the street at the time, they were a strange sight. Two alphas, very clearly in love as they walked their dog down the street. And not an Omega insight to balance them out. He had peace with that, he honestly couldn't care less about what others thought of them.

All that mattered was that they were together. That Connor happened to be their mutual Omega didn't change the way they felt about each other. They'd had plenty a talk about that in the past few weeks. 

Nines nuzzled his hair, warmth surged through him.

 

_ You don't deserve this. Don't deserve them. Look at them, look at you. _

 

No. He did. Nines and Connor said so every morning. And he had to believe that. He leaned closer to the Android and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’re a goddamn idiot, you know that?”

The Android looked at him with warmth, affection and amusement shining in those stunning grey eyes. So different from Connor's warm brown ones.

“I love you too, meat sack.” There was no malicious intent, no bite to his tone of voice.

 

He couldn't help but chuckle. Gently guiding the Android along with him. Sumo looked up at them and wagged his tail at their display of affection. Unbothered by his owners being of different species.

He wished everyone could be like Sumo as Nines and him walked their usual rounds. People stared, some glared. Some didn’t seem bothered by a human dating an android but more bothered by both of them being Alphas. Urgh. He didn’t have the energy for this bullshit.

Returning home after a good walk was always nice, the smell of good food clung to the home. Connor moved around the kitchen in Hank’s clothes and an apron that read  _ kiss the cook _ . The scene was terribly domestic.

 

He’d often told Connor, and Nines for that matter, that they didn’t need to cook or clean. But the androids seemed adamant at taking care of him. They kept reminding him that they had a right to choose their own actions and paths. And if that so happened to be them cleaning and cooking for him. Well, he stopped trying to argue with it after a week. 

Connor beamed at him the second he walked into the kitchen. The table was set, the dishes already done. Even a bloody candle was lit for atmosphere. Something was definitely going on. The android looking at him expectantly. “How was your walk?”

“Good. Sumo did his thing and I’m sure we pissed off most of the street.” He shrugged, pulling Connor close to him so he could kiss the Omega. Connor sighed against his lips, wrapping his arms around Hank’s neck in return. 

 

“As long as you had a good time.” The android whispered as they broke apart after a minute. 

He shot a quick smirk at Nines. “The best, as per usual.”

Hank pressed a kiss to Connor’s cheek, nuzzling the Omega’s neck for a few seconds. 

“As much as I enjoy this, your dinner is getting cold Hank. I worked hard on that.” The android had the audacity the smirk at him. Fucking degenerate…

 

He humored the android, digging into dinner without further protest. He knew better than to annoy the Omega when he got into his caring moods. It all passed in a quiet affair, he checked his phone from time to time to check if Gavin had sent him any kind of messages. He tried to push down the feeling of unease at the lack of response from the hot-headed detective. He’d probably crashed on his couch with that slut of a cat on his lap. That’s all there was to this. Right?

He fumbled with the device, checked and rechecked his messages again before finally making a decision. The androids shared a look. Conspiracy. All of it. Fucking androids.

 

**[To: Reed] Look, shithead, I know it ain’t my business. But I hope you’re Ok.**

 

**[From: Reed] You’re right, it’s not.**

 

**[From: Reed] Fuck you.**

 

**[To: Reed] Fuck you too, asshole.**

 

**[From: Reed] I need help.**

 

**[To: Reed] What you need?**

 

**[From: Reed] Need you to yell. Come over?**

 

**[From: Reed] Just you.**

 

**[From: Reed] No plastics.**

 

**[To: Reed] Yeah can do. Just me.**

 

**[To: Reed] Be there in 30.**

 

**[From: Reed] Fine. Bastard.**

 

He put the phone into his pocket and finished the last of his dinner. “I’m gonna need a rain check on tonight, Con. Reed needs my help.” 

Both Androids perked up at that, frowning at his words. 

“Will he be alright?” Connor asked, at the same time as Nines;

“Do you need help?”

 

He shook his head at both of their concerns. “He’s requested my presence alone. Which means he’s not holding up and he’s crying in his goddamn kitchen, cuddling his damn cat.”

The androids simply stared at him. “That is oddly specific, lieutenant,” Connor asked.

Nines’s LED blinked rapidly. “How can you tell?”

 

“Like I said, I know Reed. I know how the bastard copes.” He sighed heavily, “We’ll plan this again soon, Con. I-”

“Don’t worry Hank, I understand. You should come to Gavin’s aid.”

He quickly grabbed his coat and went on his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, comments fuel the plot bunnies and the writing muse <3


	3. A great need and understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin gets some food for thought and we get an insight on how Hank and Gavin work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fixed some errors in the first chapter, but if you find any more please point them out to me. I tend to write when I have time and upload the chapters fairly quickly after finishing them. So any help is appreciated.

Gavin had no idea how long he’d been sitting there, on the floor of his kitchen with Salem in his lap. Tears stained his cheeks and he sat there shaking as his world crashed around him. He didn’t want to make this decision. He needed someone to yell it into him. After long deliberation, he finally came to a conclusion as his phone buzzed. Hank.

They texted back and forth for a minute or two, snapping and bitching at one another just as they had done a few years ago. He’d been there for Hank too and the old man always paid his dues.

 

The doorbell buzzed sometime later. He wasn’t even sure how much time had passed. He sobbed softly.

“Hank Anderson is at the door.” 

“Hey Google,” He said to his AI that ran the apartment, “Allow Hank Anderson entry and unlock front door.”

“Hank Anderson is on his way up.” The AI replied, its voice clear and soothing.

Wonders of technology, really.

 

Salem’s ears twitched, his black body squirming its way out of his hold as the door was opened and his race for freedom began. 

“Don’t let him out!” Gavin yelled, heart pounding in his ears as Salem bolted down the hallway.

“I got him!” 

 

He sighed in relief at the deep baritone of Hank’s voice and sank back against the fridge. Footsteps approached, heavy with a clear falter in it as they rounded the corner. 

“Jesus Reed…” Anderson stared at him for a second, “You look worse than run over dog shit.”

He shot the older man a glare. “Shut up.”

 

“When was the last time you cleaned this joint? Christmas nineteen ninety-nine?” 

“I wasn’t born until two thousand two…” 

“I don’t fucking care, look at this!” Anderson ran his fingers over his coffee table. “I’ve seen crack joints cleaner than this, come on!”

He let out another sob. Anderson froze. He shook his head in reply. He needed this, more than anything. He needed someone to yell, to get him into action. He needed someone to care.

“Come on Reed, on your feet.”

 

He didn’t move, simply sobbed on. He felt Hank lift him up, firm but gentle under his arms and set him on his feet. “Come on, You’ll feel a whole lot less fucked up if we do this now.” 

He nodded in agreement, tears still streaming down his face. 

 

“You got a roomba?” Anderson gently guided him along to his living room. 

“Yeah… Hey Google? Activate slut protocol three and start the dishwasher.”

“Slut protocol three and dishwasher started.” The soothing robotic voice replied.

The roomba in the corner of the room beeped to life, just as the dishwasher activated. 

“Slut protocol?” Anderson looked at him as if he was gonna shit his pants laughing.

“He sucks.”

 

At that, Anderson did laugh. Deep, his belly shaking as he broke character and simply filed the apartment with laughter.

“Oh man, that’s fucking golden.” Hank cleared his throat after a hot minute of laughing, “Right, cleaning though. I’ll do the kitchen, you get your living room and the litter boxes done.” 

 

He stopped, biting his lip as he contemplated on whether or not he should risk this. Did he want Hank to know? Would that be a bad thing? What did he risk if he did clean out the litter box? Would he harm-

Phck.

Anderson raised an eyebrow at him. “Reed?”

He couldn’t meet his gaze. “I- I’m not allowed to clean them out right now.”

 

A look of confusion came over Hank’s expression. “Why the fuck not?”

“I- It’s a medical-”

Hank scoffed, “The only medical reason you got is if you’re-” One look at his downcast eyes and Hank’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Jesus fuck…” 

“I- I don’t-” He shook, folding his arms in misery because his body wouldn’t stop shaking.

Hank was at his side within a second. “It’s alright, hey, take a breath.” 

 

His breath heaved but he tried his hardest to calm his racing heart and his shaking breath.

“There we go. How ‘bout this? I’ll do the kitchen and litter boxes. You do the living room and bedroom, we’ll do the bathroom together. Get this place cleaned up?” 

He shook his head. He needed- He couldn’t…

Hank actually growled in return, fully getting back into his role. “Get your fucking ass moving Gavin, or I’ll freaking kick it into gear for ya.” 

 

He was sure he never cleaned his apartment that fast, that thoroughly at any point in his life. His body ached, his stomach churned. He couldn’t stop the groan that escaped him, his hand resting on his stomach.

“Alright, that’s enough for tonight. You need rest.” Hank studied him for a minute, cocking his head to the left. A drop of sweat ran down his nose. “Did you eat anything?”

He couldn’t meet his eyes, he heard Hank sigh. 

 

“Do you even have any food?” 

He shook his head. He didn’t have any unless one counted the opened pot of instant noodles in his fridge. Somehow he doubted it would go over well if he shared that particular piece of information.

“You mind if Connor and Nines bring some by? Or you’d rather have delivery?” 

 

He didn’t want to see Connor or Nines, the androids wouldn’t let him live it down. But he certainly didn’t want to get delivery again. He was getting damn sick of takeout. “The androids are fine.” 

Hank didn’t comment, merely rolled his eyes and took out his phone to text someone. Probably Connor.

“They’ll be here in about half an hour. In the meantime, you’re getting comfortable and horizontal. Judging by the twitches on your face, that kid needs you to eat and sleep.”

 

It was the first time anyone, including himself, had called it anything other than it or baby. It felt like he was being slapped in the face once he heard Hank refer to it as a kid. He stood there frozen for a minute.

“Now Reed!” Hank snapped.

 

 It kicked him into gear. Within seconds he was laying down on the couch, with his feet kicked up and a blanket draped over him.

“I really don't need- I'm not even sure- why are you doing this?” He stared at Hank quite baffled.

“Because right now, you and that kid need to be looked after and I'm the only one you got. So shut the hell up, lay back and do as you're told. For once in your life, Reed don't fight someone's kindness towards you.”

 

He wanted to believe Hank, he really did. But it was hard. No one has ever cared about him before. Not without having a price to pay. Even his own brother had abandoned him a long time ago. This was just some weird sense of obligation that the Alpha held towards him.

“This is just because I helped you once isn't it? Don't pretend that your phcking act of phcking kindness is out of the goodness of your heart, it's not. You don't care. You just want to play Alpha.”

“Unbelievable,” Hank growled. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen him so angry before. Hank's nostrils flared, his hands shook and he looked ready to fucking pound him into the ground.

 

“You know what Reed, I hope that for the sake of that kid, you get your head out of your ass and start trusting people. 'Cause there ain't a way that you're gonna pull this off on your own. Now, you can either accept my help or tell me to fuck off now. And I'll stay away for as long as you'd like.”

He felt a pang of regret at his words, Hank was trying to help him. Hell, he’d requested the Alpha’s help. But he also strongly disagreed on Hank’s assessment of him. He would be able to raise it if he set his mind to it. He just wasn’t sure if he wanted to yet. Gavin bit his lip, the wheels in his head turning.

Hank rolled his eyes, sighed deep and shook his head. “Whatever. Why do I bother?”

The Alpha moved away from him.

 

“Wait-”

He didn’t want him to go, he didn’t want to be alone. Not now, not ever again. And while he knew he couldn’t keep asking Hank, Connor, and Nines to come over or stay. Maybe he could be selfish for one night, just be normal for one night.

Hank stared at him for a moment.

“Please don’t go.” He hated his own whisper, the way his voice cracked and the fear that was in his eyes.

 

Hank’s eyes softened in return. The Alpha simply sat back down next to him, tucked his blanket better around him and gently laid a hand on Gavin’s thigh. 

He knew Hank wouldn’t expect an apology and he wasn’t sure if he could give an honest one at this point. So he simply averted his gaze and let out a shaky breath. 

A soft squeeze to his thigh and Hank’s kind smile told him all he needed to know. Hank understood.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

He started to shake his head, then reconsidered. “I’m scared…”

He drew in a broken breath, “Terrified. I’m not- I don’t want. And yet I can’t-”

He hated this, the weakness, the fear, the pain. And he wanted to lash out once again, make Hank feel that pain and fear too. Thankfully, Hank spoke up before he could.

 

“You should be.” Hank sighed, “Having, or not having a child is terrifying.”

Hank chuckled. “Can I raise a child, am I doing the right thing? What if I turn out like my parents or what if I can’t feel love for this child? Feel familiar?”

He let those words sink in and slowly nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Hank gave him a sad smile in return. “They’re all valid questions. All valid concerns. You’re scared, I was too. And I can’t tell you what the best course of action is for you. Whether or not you keep this kid, your life will change. But the only one who can make that decision, that’s you. It’s your body, your life.”

 

“What if I can’t make this decision on my own?” He’d not only screw up his own life but this kid's as well. Could he deal with that?

“Eventually you’re going to have to. But whatever you decide, you got me.”

That surprised him. He stared up at Hank in awe. “Why?”

 

“You would have done the same for me. And I care Reed. I don’t want you gone just yet.”

He nodded, not sure how to answer all of that without his inner rage bubbling up. It all sounded a little too - picture perfect to him.

“I know, I know. Tone down the bullshit and don’t insult me, Anderson.” Hank chuckled and gave him an encouraging smile.

He couldn’t help but chuckle in return. “Whatever fuck face.”

 

A soft chirp above him alerted him to Peanut’s presence. 

“And how’s my favorite asshole doing?” Anderson offered Peanut his hand, an invitation which the cat gladly took. 

Peanut had always had a soft spot for the Alpha. As did Barcode, surprisingly. Salem had a soft spot for everyone and that couldn’t be helped. But Hank was definitely Peanut's favorite human. It was frustrating and amusing all at the same time.

“Such a good boy, huh? You’re just like an aloof miniature dog.” Hank scratched the cat’s ears and Peanut’s loud purring brought him into a calm, lulled state. 

His eyes drooping a little as he allowed himself to just listen to Peanut’s purrs and Hank’s soft words of encouragement for the cat.

 

At that time, the AI gave a soft ping followed by; “Connor and Richard are at the door.”

And so it all began. “Let them in, Google.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be from Connor or Nines's POV, we'll get some insight on how they experienced the world after the revolution. AND the plot will kick off, I swear. I realize the startup may be a bit slow right now, but I swear it has a reason and I'm trying to establish character relations and conflicts before the major plot lines start going.  
> Also, I have 2 weeks off work right now, yay paid vacation! So plenty of writing time for Benny. Expect more updates in the next ten days or so.
> 
> As always, your comments fuel me and I squeal with joy whenever I receive one. So please do let me know what your thoughts are. Are the pov shifts clear enough with one POV per chapter, do you think I could do more than one POV per chapter or are you liking this format? 
> 
> Just let me know your thoughts and feelings and what you think of the story so far and please make my day. <3


	4. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Nines arrive at the apartment and some things are revealed to the readers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a mention of child experimentation and kidnapping in this chapter. It's not very graphic but will become a later plot point in the story. You've been warned. Also yay! I can't believe I finally have the time and emotional energy to work on this story again! I'm so excited!

Running diagnostics… OK  
Memory check… Ok  
System check… Corrupt  
Emotional regulation program… Corrupt

The world, or more accurately the elevator in this case, went by in a flash of gray and the occasional snippet of bright yellow. To him, it felt like a lifetime. In reality, it was just a few seconds of his day.

RK900 or Richard, also known as Nines, who stood on his left blinked rapidly. Clearly processing information in the same way Connor used to. Judging by his yellow LED and the text appearing in his HUD he’d come to an analysis far quicker than Connor ever could.

_Nine: I’m worried about Gavin…_

_Con: I think we’re all worried about him, Nines._

_His heart rate and blood pressure were higher than normal, not to mention the strain that the embryo will be putting on his body and mind. I don’t think he’s coping well._

_Of course, he’s not, humans don’t cope well with small changes. Let alone one that alters their life completely. He needs time._

_Does he have that time? To cope I mean?_   
_… I don’t think he has. He needs to make a decision quickly._

_He’s not going to if it’s up to Gavin he’s going to hide and lash out._

_How can you be so sure? You’ve known him for five weeks._

Nines hummed beside him, making his lips curl up just the slightest. His mate, as much as he’d learned in the short time he’d been awakened, still had a long way to go in understanding humankind. Although he’d made some great progress if he were honest.

Try to spend five weeks with him. He’s not exactly an enigma.

Nines had a point there, out of the two of them he probably knew Gavin better.  

The elevator dinged as they arrived on Gavin’s floor. His HUD switched back to color after briefly giving him a yellow marker to indicate the location of Gavin’s door. Nines got off before him, his movements precise, calculated. Some things were hard to get rid off, especially if one considered the purpose for which Nines was built.

He carefully shifted the container in his hands, he had gathered some leftovers from the meal he’d made Hank. It wasn’t much, but it was probably a lot better than what Gavin currently had in his fridge. Otherwise, Hank wouldn’t have called them in.

Nines knocked on the door for him. Little pitter-patter sounds on the other sound of the door followed by a soft meow indicated that there was a cat there.

“Salem.” Nines answered, waiting until the apartment AI opened the door for them and immediately bend down to scoop a black cat into his arms. “He likes to escape.”

As if that answered anything. He merely followed his mate into the apartment. The first thing he noticed were Hank and Gavin on the sofa. The other Omega was laying down, with Hank trying his best to comfort him. Gavin, judging by the facial expressions and the way he turned his body, wasn’t really having it. He wasn’t running away either. Interesting.

“I see life has gotten you down.”

He narrowed his eyes at Nines’ approach to the situation. Surely aggravating Gavin wouldn’t do anything in their favor-

“Not more than usual, tin can,” Gavin grumbled in return, Hank looked at them both in amusement.

“You mean there’s a usual breaking point for trash, detective?”

“Screw you-” Gavin muttered, but it didn’t hold any bite to it. If anything Gavin seemed amused, grateful, by Nines’ approach. Strange…  

“We brought you some food. I’m afraid it’s not much-”

The look Gavin sends him in response made his Thirium pump malfunction for a second. The human looked haunted, tired, torn. His preprogrammed instincts wanted nothing more than to fix that.

 

S̸̗̩̹̲̪̙̤̳̤̲̹͍͂̃̾͂͜ͅơ̴̝̱̖͗͐̈̀͂̅̕͝f̷̧̣͈̹̯̼̩͔͈̜͋͐͆̆̏͊̀̇̀̍̍̂͘̕͜ͅt̵̢͈͔̫̮͚̋̔̂̑̏̉̿̄͝͝w̷͔̳̖̼̤̖̠̱̠͚̫̙̱̺̉̿͌̈̄̄̐̄̂͝a̴̧͍͔͍̣͖̫̗̼͚̳̣͑̍͛͗̾͆̌͐̅͘ͅr̶̡͉̓e̵̢̟͎̬̩̗̣͍̮̻̠̪̤͉͗̈́̌̋̈̀̎͑̎͊̑̚͘ ̸͍̯̪͖̥͋̊̇̑͐̌̾̒̀͐̒Ǐ̴̹̜̎̈̋̌̔̃̚̚n̵̡̨̨̢͉̞̺̭͚̤̻̼̲̑s̷̡̖̤̫͎̹̪̝͌͋͛̈́̆ͅţ̸̳̮̬͇̺̠͔͎̃͊̅̈́̏̾͗̃̊͘͝å̷̮̤̃̐̄̎͆̚͜͝b̵̧̡̠̪̥̻͇̙͉̊̌͛̉̕̚͘͘͘͝͠ȉ̷̳̳̙̩̈́̿͌̈́̍͋͛͂͌̈́̍̊ĺ̴̨̨̛͕̺̖̫̈́̀͆̇̃͗͊͠͠͝͝i̴͉̩͕̾̿̑̎͛̑͋͊̕t̶̡͓̬̙͍͈̝̗̼͙̿̈̌̈ͅy̶̬͖̘͎̟͉͓̗̿͐͌̽̆̄

 

He shook his head slightly, blinking rapidly against the familiar message in his HUD. Every once in awhile that still popped up when his emotions ran wild. Nines probably had a similar issue.

“Whatever… I’m starving.”  

He took it as a win and slowly handed the container over to the other Omega. Gavin immediately dug into the leftovers, practically inhaling the food he’d been given.

“Glad to see you’re enjoying that, Detective Reed.” The glare and grumbled “I’m not” he received in return had him smiling. No Reed clearly wasn’t an enigma. It was actually kind of endearing, really.

-

**Somewhere in Detroit:**

Bitterness was a dangerous affliction. It could turn even the most rational person into someone without morals or qualms. Into someone who wasn’t afraid to kill to achieve their goal. At first, that had bothered her. She used to be an upstanding scientist, after all, a good mother and a good person. And yet, when she reflected upon her actions now, she could no longer say she was any of those things. On days like these, that bothered her somewhat but she couldn’t reflect on these things for too long. It didn’t matter anymore anyway. Her son was gone, taken by Kamski and Cyberlife and twisted into something she had created. And for that, she hated them.

She wanted them to suffer as she had.

Joining an anti-android militia hadn’t been her first choice, but she found those that hated Cyberlife as much as she did. It was easier to bring down her enemies with sufficient resources after all. Although their methods were... less than savory. Ah well, as long as she brought down those that had wronged her, she was fine with that.

She gathered her long blond hair into a ponytail, took a sip from the coffee mug on her left and resumed her work. The code in front of her was her latest project, carefully constructed and tweaked to do the most damage it could.

“Are you still working on your little pet project?”  

She almost rolled her eyes at the sound of her companion entering her laboratory. Aneesha was a beautiful woman, a strong Alpha, and leader but she wasn’t exactly a scientist and many of her own projects were lost on her business partner.

“One of us has to bring Android kind down whilst fighting for humanity. Considering I have several Ph.D.’s it might as well be me.”

Aneesha merely smiled, tucking her long wavy brown hair behind her ear. “I think that’s the kindest way to say you think I’m an idiot.” She leaned against the lab table.

“I don’t agree with your methods of impregnating random Omega’s to increase humanities numbers, no. But I don’t think you’re an idiot either, after all, you did ask for my help.”  

Aneesha’s smile was warm and inviting but the undertone of it reminded her of a snake ready to strike. As if she had a little secret she’d been dying to share. “Ah, Evie, my dear. You have a wonderful sense of humor. I think, though,” She circled around her, “That you’ll like our latest little lamb.”  

It made her stop in her tracks and look up from her laptop. “Oh?”  

“I got Kamski’s little brother himself. One shot of your Aqua Ardor and some alcohol and seduction and that was it. My child will be related to our target and if we have our way, he’ll never see him.”  

She didn’t know whether to be impressed or horrified. “So you impregnated Reed in the hope that he’ll keep the child and then take him to a custody battle over it just so you can extract some petty revenge on Kamski?”  

She paused, raising her eyebrow as Aneesha merely shrugged. “That’s dangerously stupid. Reed isn’t just related to Kamski but also to Perkins and several political figures due to their father’s preferences. To go after Reed would only bring more trouble than it’s worth. Not to mention the man is a detective and has an entire police department of resources.”

“Not if he’s pregnant and can’t work.” Aneesha grinned, a dangerous glint in her eyes.  

When it comes to brain power, Evie herself clearly had the upper hand between the two. The scientist had learned to think things through and consider the consequences of every action she took. Aneesha, however, had a danger to her like a snake always ready to strike and resources that Evie herself wouldn’t have had access too otherwise. She was used to getting her way and when Kamski took that from her, well, never underestimate a woman scorned was certainly a good phrase for her.

“Don’t count on that..” Evie lowered her gaze, biting her lip as she looked at her latest code and then back at Aneesha. “I hope you know what you are doing, otherwise you just awoke a sleeping dragon.”  

“I know exactly what I’m doing.” Aneesha smirked, “Now tell me, how’s our little gift coming along?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know what you think, I'm sorry I've been away for such a long time but I've been dealing with a lot of things and just got back to my writing. I'm hoping I can make good progress on this story and actually get to finish this by the time my vacation is over.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this for fucking ever and finally decided to share, let me know what you all think. I have 6000 words typed out right now, so let me know if you'd like more!


End file.
